This invention relates to conveying machines and more particularly to conveying machine guide rail supports.
Conveying machines, and particularly those employed for transporting food containers such as bottles and cans, generally include a moving belt or chain on which the containers are transported from one location to another. Guide rails are positioned along the sides of the moving belt to keep the containers from falling off the sides of the conveyor as they are transported. As the containers move along the conveyor, a substantial sidewise force is exerted against the guide rails resulting in an equal and opposite reaction force on the container. Accordingly, it is desirable that the guide rails be positioned at an optimum height relative to the container so that the containers remain upright as they are conveyed. Moreover, in the case of relatively taller containers, two or more guide rails are commonly employed. In addition, for bottles having a reduced diameter neck, specially configured guide rails are often employed above and generally inboard of the guide rails which engage the body of the container. The position of the guide rails may also be determined by the location of paper labels on the container.
If a conveyor is switched from one type of container to another having a different size or shape, it is often necessary to reposition the guide rails. Conventional guide rail supports generally include threaded fasteners for securing the guide rail clamps to the supports mounted on the conveying machine. As a result, these fasteners must be loosened and retightened when it is necessary to reposition the guide rails. This is a time consuming and labor intensive procedure since a large number of such brackets must be repositioned on conveying machines which are commonly several hundred feet in length.
It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved support for conveying machine guide rails.
Another object of the invention is to provide a conveying machine guide rail support which permits the rapid and accurate repositioning of the guide rails without the use of tools.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description thereof taken with the accompanying drawings.
In general terms, the invention comprises a guide rail support assembly for use with a conveyor having transport means for transporting articles from one location to another. The guide rail support comprises the combination of guide rail holding means for holding a guide rail adjacent the transport means of a conveyor, support means for supporting the guide rail holding means and clamping means mounted on one of the holding means and the support means and having a first position for securing the holding means against movement relative to the support means and a second position in which the holding means is free for movement relative to the support means whereby movement of the clamping means between its first and second positions permits rapid repositioning of the guide rail relative to the transport means of a conveyor without the use of tools.